Panel and control mechanism therefor



wQ H. BISHOP ET AL.

, PANEL AND CONTROL MECHANISM THEREFOR Aug. 14, 1.`

Filed Feb. 21, 1944 2 sheeiif-sht 2 l n a 4 Patented Aug. 14, 1945 PANEL AND .CONTROL MonANIsM THEREFoii William Henry BishopWilfle/d Edwin v Clements, Birmingham, England Application February 21, 1944, Serial No. 523,332 i f .In y(rreat Britain 31111923, 1942l -3' claims. (c1. 268-46) l,

This invention relates fto improvements in slidy img Windows or panels vfor aircraft, road and rail vehicles andr yachts, l.motor'-iboats :and other erating mechanism for slidably operating .a win- -doW orfpanel rin such :a lWay that the window for panel `lisxpositively seated and. locked .when

clo'sed andqis positively movedv laway. from y.its seating at the commencement of the .opening ,movemena thewhole operation being effected iby a force `applied to a :sing-le handle in/.the .direcv tion ofLopeningfsand-closing.

' Curimprovedumechanism is thus particularly applicable rto windows or panels =on aircraft Whe're there 'must be no risk lof accidental opening of the ,window or panel and iwherezthe window or'panellmay be iced y up .at atime when fits openingis essential. A

" Our invention is v.particularly applicable `to winvdowsior'aircraft `of the'type in which the `sliding window in the yclosed*position is in valignment with `andin' the same :plane as a'lflxed windowand in `opening the vsliding Window the window or :at

least .that-:end y'of next the 'xed Window is Ifirst v.displaced yinwardly and then .the Window is' slid along into la position parallel `to ,and on fthe inner'sidefoiflthe iix-edivvindow.l l

our invention iis zto provide opiirst partof .the :movement unlocks the levers.

'Continued .movement-of the Ahandle causes'the levers fto' engage -abutments adjacent this A.edge of Athe Window landthe levers fulcrum .on these Aabutments and cause `this edgezof the Window to Abe positively forced .away from its frame y.or seat so that .any ice or other obstruction to the opening Lof the window is broken away.k These :abut-` ments merge into guiding surfaces along which the rollers Aen 4the levers Itravel as the Window is v moved into the open positiomthewopposite edge of fthe Window being moved away from its frame Y or seat by the movement of 'the guides at .that

edge along the cur-ved parts of theguides. Thus 4the openedwvindow is finally in a position .parallel to its closed'position'butdisplaced laterally 4there- 4from fby a distance'app-roximately `equal to lt-he WidthY of the Window.

Usually vthe Window will slide into a position 1parallel to and -voutside `cir-inside a fixed Window with which the sliding Window is in alignment whenclosed.rv The ksaine mechanism can `be employed furthe -actuationof a sliding pafnel such According to our `invention 'a' sliding Window Y or panel for aircraft, -v'ehicles and-the like iis slidfxably guided vadjacent one edge 'by means which carry it yagainst axed "frame in the closing movement and 'away from theirame inithe'openling movement, fand yadjacent the #other Aedge 'they -window"or panel ycarries handle-operated lever vv mechar'rism which in the final closing movement positively'urgesfthis edge of the panel-'against thefrarne andlocks'it in thatpositionand in the Iopening movement vpositively `4forces 'it away from the frame. jIlx'eferably the sliding window or panel is ,supported .adjacentone edge to slide and rockon a guide curving .towards theend ofthe yframe with whichthi's edge of the window engages in the yclosed position, and adjacent the other edge the Window carries spaced pivoted levers actuated simultaneously by a handle vand adapted-in one position to `be forced' against a guiding surface substantially parallel to the Winas a hatch on an aeroplane or `yacht or a slid-- M l In suc'hca-ses the vsliding panel as it is opened will usually slide 'under anali-jacent fixed pi nel but may slide over the xed panel. @ne practical -forni of `slid-ing window in accordance Ivl/"it'h'four invention for `the -cockpitfof an aeroplane is illustrated by Way of example in 'the accompanying vdrzatwings in which:

Figure` 1 vis a fragmentary side elevation'of kthe Window.

Figure'2 isa sectional plan of the Window 0n the line 2--2'of Fig-ure 1 Ashowing the operating mechanism y"at the lower *edge of the window 'in "the closed andlocked position.

1 lFigure 3 isa plan ofthe operating mechanism 'in thef-position in lw'h-ich the Window kis unlocked preparatory to'being' opened.

Figure 4 `is a verticalsection on the line 4- -4 of dow to press this edge of the windowagainst ythe frame. In the closing movement these levers pass over dead center and are automatically locked so that no external pressure or vibrations 'n ycan cause any movement of the Window.

In opening the Window a force is applied to lthe handle in the direction of opening and the In the arrangement'illustrated a slidable Window panel I0 normally lies alongside and in the same vertical plane as a fixed Window panel ll, and the whole unit being mounted in a peripheral anged frame l2 which is adapted to be secured to structural members of the aeroplane fuselage. When opened the sliding panel is adapted to move inwardly and slide rearwardly into a 4position behind and parallel to the fixed panel. The relative positions of the panels may, of course, be reversed so that the sliding panel moves forwardly to open.

The front edge of the sliding panel is guided by means of felt-lined sliders I3v which are pivotally mounted on brackets I4 projecting inward-- 1y from the panel at the top and bottom and are adapted to slide on guide flanges l5 which curver outwardly at their front ends towards the fixed frame I2 and'then merge into straight portions parallel to the windowframe and extending rearwardly o-n the inner side of the lxed panel II.

A vertical rod I5 is pivoted in brackets I1 `at the top and bottom of the sliding panel adjacent its rear edge and a loop handle I8 is welded or otherwise secured to the rod intermediate the brackets, the ha'ndle extending forwardly at an angle to the plane of the panel when the panel is in the locked position asshown in Figure 2. 'I'he mechanism associated with the rod at the top i aslot 23 in a bracket 24 on the inner face of the sliding panel while the other armcarries a roller 25 adapted to roll either on the guide flange I5 or on gav parallelguiding surface 26.v 26 lies on the inner side of the fixed panel I I and at 'its front end is curved round at 21 to meet the panel frame. The surface 26 may be covered with felt except at the corner 21 Where there is pref.- erably a metal shoe or strip.

The action of the mechanism will be readily followed by reference. to the drawings.

In the closed position of the sliding panel the panel has been moved forwardly by a forward thrust applied to the handle I8. `In this movement the slider I3 slides on the guide flange I5 and the roller 25 rolls on the face of `this flange. In the final part of the movement the engagement of the slider I3 with the curved forward end of the flange and the outward pressure of `the roller 25 urges the sliding panel outwardly so that a sealing strip 28 around the edge of the panel is forced into sealing contact with a flange 29 on the iixed frame. The nal forward pressure `position and cannot be opened :by external pressure.

' To open the sliding panel the handle I8 is `pulled rearwardly to rotate the rod I6 about its axis. The rst part of the movement rocks the armv I9 past center again to unlock it and the bell-crank lever 2I is rocked over and moved rearwardly until the roller 25 engages the corner 21 of the guide surface 26. On continued movement of the handle the lever 2l fulcrums about the Vroller and vapplies an inward pull to the rear edge of the panel to move it away from the flange 29, as shown in Figure 3. Thus if ice should have formed around the joint, of the panel The surface i can be very simply and economically made up from metal sheet or rod and for aircraft can be made from aluminium or a light alloy.

While an arrangement has been illustrated in which the fixed and sliding panels lie in a vertical plane, it will be understood that the same mechanism can be used with panels arranged in a horizontal or in any other plane.

We claim:

l. A sliding panel structure for aircraft, Vehicles and the like comprising a stationary frame, a movable panel, means for slidably guiding the panel adjacent one edge and carrying it against the frame in the closing movement of the panel and away from the frame in the opening movement, a rod pivoted on the panel adjacent the opposite edge about an axis parallel to the panel, a handle projecting radially from the rod, an arm keyed on the end of the rod, a bell crank lever pivoted on the arm, a pivoted and slidable connection between one arm of the bell crank and the panel, a roller on the face end of the other arm, and two spaced abutments with either of which the roller engages according to the dvrection of movement of the handle to urge the panel towards and away from the frame.

2. A sliding panel structure as in claim l in which the arm on the rod rocks over center with respect to the axis of the rod in the nal closing movement of the handle to lock the panel in the closed position. y

3. A sliding panel structure for vehicles, aircraft and the like comprising a stationary frame, a movable panel, spaced guides for the panel parallel to the framev for the greater part of this length but each curving in towards the frame at one end, a pivoted slider on the panel adjacent one edge working on the rst of said guides to carry that edge of the panel towards and away from the frame in the last part of the closing movement and the first part of the opening movement respectively, a rod pivoted on the panel adjacent the opposite edge with its axis parallel to the panel, a handle projecting radially from the rod, an arm keyed on the rod, a bell crank-level` pivoted on the arm', a pivotal and slidable connection between one arm of the bell-crank and the panel, and a roller on the other arm of the bell crank which co-operates with the guides and which urges the edge of the panel adjacent which the rod is mounted towards the frame as the handle is moved in a direction to close the panel and away from the frame as the handle is moved in a direction to open the panel.

WILLIAM HENRY BISHOP. WILFRED EDWIN n CLEMENTS. 

